The family of Chad Elwartowski, the Michigan native and Bitcoin entrepreneur who is wanted by the Thai government for living on a prototype dwelling in the ocean, had long been driven by strong political views and a yearning for adventure, an Indiana relative said.

He had long been a "pure libertarian," one of his sisters, Delynne Elwartowski, of Noblesville, said in an interview Friday morning with the Detroit Free Press. He sought to live out his beliefs by making the sea his home.

"He has no ill will toward anybody," she said of her brother. "He thought he was doing a good thing."

In the past week, 45-year-old Chad Elwartowski made international headlines along with his Thai girlfriend, Supranee Thepdet, also known as Nadia Summergirl, for living on a seastead about 12 miles off the coast of Thailand.

Royal Thai Navy officers inspect the seastead in the Andaman Sea, some 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket.(Photo: Royal Thai Navy)

In a desperate social media plea, Elwartowski said he and Summergirl need help because the Thai government has charged them with a crime and, if caught, they could face life imprisonment or death.

Since then, he said, they have been on the run.

Delynne Elwartowski of Noblesville, a suburb of Indianapolis, said she and the rest of their family have limited information. She said they have exchanged messages and know he is safe — for now.

But, she said, "it is surreal." The family, especially their 78-year-old mother, Judy, is "scared for him."

The youngest of six, Chad Elwartowski grew up in Tecumseh, his sister said. He graduated from Tecumseh High and Michigan State University. In high school, she said, he wasn't a preppy or jock.

He had a lot of friends, she said. He played saxophone in the marching and jazz bands and he always seemed to be laid back.

He loved adventure and to travel, his sister said, adding that seasteading, a combination of the words sea and homesteading, was in line with that, as well as his libertarian views that people should be free to make their own choices.

Seasteading asserts that people should be able to live in international waters outside the control of any nation, which gives ocean residents in these communities the right to set up their own rules.

Delynne Elwartowski said her brother made a name — and a lot of money — for himself as an early adopter of Bitcoin. It is a digital cryptocurrency that fluctuates in value and allows for electronic transactions without a bank.

The Royal Thai Navy has announced it will remove the dwelling and suspects Elwartowski of moving there to exploit legal loopholes and operate a business based on Bitcoin, a currency criticized for its association with illegal activity.

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On Thursday, Chad Elwartowski sent a message via social media to the Free Press. He said that the Seasteading Institute, a San Francisco-based group that promotes living at sea, is now speaking on his behalf.

Delynne Elwartowski said that since her brother's plea for help, the family has been in contact with the U.S. State Department, but officials said they can do little to help bring him home.

The State Department told the Free Press that U.S. citizens are subject to that country’s laws, and emphasized that U.S. consular officers cannot provide American citizens legal advice, represent them in court or affect their release.

Delynne Elwartowski said the family feels helpless, meeting "dead ends left and right."